Melodious Reunions
by Terrifica Oneiroi
Summary: Music was always a large part of the Goblin King's life, he just didn't realize how instramental it would become to his happiness.  Multiple Songs


Title: Melodious Reunions  
Summary: Music was always a large part of the Goblin King's life, he just didn't realize how instramental it would become to his happiness.  
Rating: K  
Warnings: None at all.

* * *

The first time he heard that voice was many, many years after its owner left his realm.

The nine year old girl standing in front of him was momentarily forgotten when the wind carried that peculiar sound through the open window. A motor vehicle passed by on the street outside, a tune floating from its lowered windows. He only heard a small part of the overall melody, but he'd recognize that voice anywhere, even after so long.

_I never made promises lightly,  
__And there have been some that I've broken_

On the surface, the voice was really quite lovely. It keened like the last lonely church bell tolling, a clear but melancholy sound meant to stir the soul. The tone was perfect, the notes formed precisely and purposefully, but what made the phrase so captivating was the genuine emotion behind it. The singer believed what they were singing; that kind of inflection, that absolute truth, couldn't be faked.

He turned back to the young girl who stood before him, lip trembling, yes, but not in fear. He'd responded to a summons like usual, ready to scare the ungrateful mortal who dared wish away something as precious as a child, only to stop at the scene displayed upon his arrival. The caller sat upon a small, rocket ship shaped bed, holding the hand of a very young boy, obviously her brother. The babe was tangled up in many tubes and wires, and wore a knitted cap upon his tiny head.

The girl wanted him to take her brother and turn him into a Goblin. She didn't want to leave him; she loved him, but it was what she wished for nonetheless. She didn't want anything in return. She didn't want her dreams because those were wishes not even he could give her.

The only thing the girl wanted from him was to remember her brother, even if nobody else would.

It had happened before, and even the fearsome Goblin King possessed some compassion, so he agreed to the child's request somberly. Humans like the girl silently crying before him were rare, truly. The act was a punishment in itself, and he couldn't muster up even his usual sneer.

He turned towards the window for the last time, but stopped when the little girl called to him.

"He'll always be happy."

Her blue eyes begged him for absolution, for forgiveness and mercy. As he stared into the night sky, the music wafted up to him once again.

"I promise."

_But I swear, in the days still left  
__We'll walk in fields of gold._

* * *

The first time he saw that face again was some time later. Years had gone by since he'd heard the voice, but somehow he'd always known it wasn't over.

Things like that never truly ended, for anyone.

A teenage boy wished away his crying baby sister, and so because he wanted to watch television and couldn't stand the sound of the babe's tears, the Goblin King took the child and sent the young man to the longest thirteen hours he would ever experience.

He didn't usually pay much attention to the places he landed in. It had never mattered much before. He knew the humans were obsessed with their little inventions, and hadn't devoted any amount of time to figuring out why, but once the boy was gone in an angst ridden cloud of black cloth and blacker mood, he turned to the small box still making noise.

It was a simple concept, and he quickly deduced that somewhere, the same performance he was viewing was taking place. The box operated similarly to his scrying crystals, showing him a long platform of sorts, set up before a large ground of people who looked exactly like the moody mortal boy. A large marquee hung over the platform, and under it a man spoke to the audience.

"We're here today to give Scotty a proper send-off, with music, spirits, and bright company. Who better to kick off the celebrations than a close friend of our dear Jeff's, a lady I know you're all heard of, if not for her name being splashed around the tabloids, then for her beautiful voice and even more precious soul? Ladies and Gents, Sarah Williams."

His eyes were glued to the glass viewing screen as the image closed in on the woman under the spotlight. She sat all alone on that big stage, on a plain wooden stool, clutching what appeared to be a very well-worn stringed instrument.

Sarah Williams looked exactly how he'd imagined she would. She was now twenty-six years old, and she'd matured into an incredibly beautiful woman. Her face was narrower than before, highlighting high cheekbones and dark eyebrows. He remembered her awkward limbs, like a young filly trying to figure out where everything went, however, the woman on the stool looked comfortable in her own skin. Her long hair was done in braids and waves, like some peasant maiden, with little tokens and ribbons woven amongst the strands. She wore a white linen shift under a dark green bodice he knew would accent her eyes, and even though he couldn't see then, he knew they would sparkle.

It was impossible to think…

"Scotty loved this guitar, you know. He kept it until it just about fell apart. He never got the chance to play it again, and it's taken a year to track down the original parts, but the first thing I did when it was done was take it to be tooled. Mary mentioned that to Jeff, the guitar was virtuosity, and she's right on the money. I hope we did it right, hon, 'cause it was hell finding someone brave enough to tool the Buckley Telecaster. This first song is for you, Scott, because now we know what you meant."

He watched her smooth a hand down the side of the guitar before taking an exaggerated breath. She started to slowly pick the strings, chords flowing like water. Instantly, the shifting, murmuring crowd stilled and grew reverently silent.

_Well I heard there was a secret chord  
__That David played and it pleased the Lord  
__But you don't really care for music, do you?_

He listened to her sing, not knowing who these men were, but understanding that they would never hear her song for them. There was a deep sorrow in her bell-tones, and maybe that made it even more poignant. It was a haunting sound, this creature's lament.

_And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah._

When the image drew in on her face, he saw the creases around her eyes, the genuine, secretive smile on her lips, and the unshed tears that turned her eyes into jewels.

"Hallelujah. Oh, Sarah."

It was impossible, but he still loved her.

* * *

He wasn't in the Above for a summons this time, at least not directly.

It wasn't like he'd never sung to mortals before, but they certainly didn't remember it after they left, and they definitely didn't teach it to others. That was why, when the surge of song finally crested passed the Mists, it caught his attention. There was only one who'd heard it first hand, and he'd been too young to remember it, surely.

It wasn't… stalking, per se. He was in the house, and though he observed them, they didn't know he was there. The song wasn't harmful in the least, but it was curious. He wanted to know how it had come about.

A young teenager walked into the Williams' family room, which was where he'd coincidentally been not-hiding. The boy had wispy blonde curls and blue eyes, and he couldn't believe it had been fifteen years already. Time didn't run quite the same Below, but for Danu's sake! Fifteen years was an eternity to humans.

Toby was now the same age Sarah had been that fateful night.

"Come on, Sarah! There aren't any cameras around, I swear. Nobody knows we're even here."

He smirked to himself.

When Sarah rounded the corner, he wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but what he saw certainly wasn't it. Her glossy hair was dull, pulled back into a messy bundle. Sarah had never been very tan, but now she looked absolutely pallid. There were dark smudges around cloudy green eyes. To put it simply, Sarah Williams looked like hell.

"Gods, Sar, how many shows did you pull this time?"

Sarah flopped down tiredly onto the couch, leaning on her brother sideways and shrugging a shoulder.

"We played thirty arenas, fifteen small venues, and too many late night fan sessions in dirty garages to count. Everything sold out, Tobes. Money's coming out my ears."

The teenager snorted, but hugged his older sister to him.

"Yeah, but you're paying too much for it. We're okay now, sis. You can cut back."

The clearly exhausted woman shut her eyes at the thought.

"I'd like that, Tobes."

The television changed suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. The chattering announcer beamed out at them.

"We have an exclusive release of Sarah Williams' newest music video, and you are _not_ going to believe who stars! After years of skillfully avoiding the topic and politely worded letters for the Williams' lawyers, we finally get to see the elusive Tobias Williams."

Sarah groaned and buried her head in her brother's broad shoulder.

"I can't _believe_ I let you convince me to do that idiotic, imbecilic, ignorant…"

The music swelled from the television, and suddenly, he understood. The music wasn't _quite_ right, but it was hard to imitate music made purely from magic.

_You remind me of the babe  
__What babe?_

The siblings danced on the little screen, mythical creatures bouncing around like toddlers on caffeine, while the real life duo laughed and groaned simultaneously.

_My baby's love had gone  
__And left my baby blue._

Sarah peeled herself up from the couch, shooting a loathing-filled glare at the smug announcer, who was speculating if Toby was her _babe_ or _baby_. Her brother eyed her a moment before speaking.

"I really wanted to exorcise that ghost, and you had to be there. You _were_ there, somewhere."

He watched as Sarah sighed, resigned to having an obviously familiar conversation once more.

"I told you, Toby-"

"I know, I know. Overactive imagination, antisocial tendencies, bipolarism, et cetera, et cetera. Anti-anxiety meds, anti-depression meds, anti-willpower meds. I'm not stupid, Sarah, and I'm not Mom and Dad. I believe you. I believe it happened. I _know_ it happened."

The older woman stared at her brother a moment before nodding.

"Don't be long coming to bed, honey," she quipped on her way out. The teen rolled his eyes in response.

"Yes, _Mother_."

A few silent moments passed before Toby spoke again.

"You set her free, I'll thank you forever, but if you've come back just to leave her alone again, I'll make sure you regret ever stepping foot in this house."

The teenaged boy then turned out the light and left him alone, still completely invisible, to think about all he'd learned tonight and years past.

* * *

She hadn't heard that voice in fifteen years, and yet, there was a melodious humming coming from her kitchen. The tile was chilly on her bare feet, though she couldn't be sure the shudder was from the night cold or the dark, humming room.

The tune was one she'd never tried to recreate, never tried to capture down on paper. It had always felt like a living thing, a pulsing heartbeat somewhere in the darkness that couldn't be tamed. Not only couldn't it be trapped, it shouldn't. There was always a feeling, there on the edges. She could hum the tune to herself, and only to herself, and that was okay, but she knew that if she shared the song with anyone, even Toby, bad things would happen. Maybe not to her, but to someone. The song felt like a gift and a responsibility wrapped into one confusing, secretive package.

The room was dark, but it wasn't completely black. She could sense some movement in the deepest shadow, but wasn't anything near afraid. Cautious, definitely, but not scared.

A shaft of light came in the tiny window above the sink, making the white tile glow in the moonlight.

A shiny boot slid forward into the spotlight, followed closely by tight black breeches, fluttering cloak, and gleaming armor. Hanging there, right at the center of the breastplate, was a masculine gold and ruby amulet which almost made her smile. It was so familiar to her, even all these years later. How many times had she drawn that symbol, on napkins, notebooks, and receipts?

When he finally moved his face into the light, her breath caught. Oh, his face was exactly the same as before, but without the smirk or jauntily raised brow. Hair was still a riot of platinum, blonde, and white, lips still somehow both flat and sensual, ears slightly pointed, eyebrows gently upswept…

It was the eyes that did her in, that broke through that final dam. They were every bit as intense as before, but not it was all about _her_. His focus was entirely on her face, no baby brother, no minion to threaten, no mortal to thwart. There was a quiet seriousness in his eyes that told her absolutely everything important.

She didn't plan it, but something had her opening her mouth, and instead of speech, song came out. _His_ song, the song she'd never sung before.

_Their_ song.

_There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes._

He held out his hands, and when she took them, was surprised to feel slightly cool, smooth skin. She looked up again.

_A kind of pale jewel, open and closed within your eyes._

Stepping closer, he took the next line from her, crooning very quietly in the still kitchen, holding her hands to his chest.

_I'll place the sky within your eyes._

One of them started moving, she couldn't remember who, until they were swaying gently, his cloak swishing against her bare legs.

_There's such a fooled heart beating so fast,_

Her hands could feel his heart racing, even under his armor plate, and knew that her heart matched his. She still wasn't afraid.

_In search of new dreams-_

He cut her off this time.

_A love that will last between the stars._

She nodded to the question in his eyes, the one burning bright as stars between them.

_I'll leave my love between the stars._

Knowing what they'd just confessed, and decided to go for, Sarah felt nothing but safe and warm as he stopped moving them to gather the edges of his cloak in his hands. As she covered her, too, she felt perfectly glad to wrap her arms around his waist and lay her head on his chest.

With his sharp chin on the top of her head, and her nose an inch from his amulet, she finally stopped feeling so lost and lonely.

She'd made it back to the Underground, at least where it mattered.

* * *

Fields of Gold (c) Sting  
Hallelujah (c) Jeff Buckley  
Dance Magic Dance (c) David Bowie


End file.
